The spotted sandgrouse is a species of ground dwelling bird in the family Pteroclidae. It is found in arid regions of northern and eastern Africa and across the Middle East and parts of Asia as far east as northwest India. It is a gregarious, diurnal bird and small flocks forage for seed and other vegetable matter on the ground, flying once a day to a waterhole for water. In the breeding season pairs nest apart from one another, the eggs being laid in a depression on the stony ground. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and eat dry seed, the water they need being provided by the male which saturates its belly feathers with water at the waterhole. The spotted sandgrouse is listed as being of "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in its Red List of Threatened Species.
Region
North Africa, the Middle East, and northwest India
Typical Environment
Occurs across arid and semi-arid zones from the Sahara and Sahel through Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, and Iran to Pakistan and northwest India. Prefers stony deserts (hamada), gravel plains, and semi-desert steppe with sparse shrubs and grasses. Often concentrates near wadis and remote water sources, commuting daily to drink. Avoids dense vegetation and true dunes, favoring open, flat terrain for visibility and rapid takeoff.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Males soak their specially adapted belly feathers at waterholes and fly back to chicks to let them drink, a unique behavior among birds. They are powerful, fast fliers that commute long distances daily to water. Their cryptic, sand-colored plumage provides excellent camouflage against stony desert ground.
Spotted sandgrouse in the desert at Erg Chebbi
Roosting at Kutch where it is rare winter visitor
Stuffed female
Egg
Temperament
gregarious but wary
Flight Pattern
strong, fast, and direct with rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season they form small to large flocks that feed together and travel to waterholes once daily. Pairs nest separately during breeding, placing eggs in a shallow scrape on stony ground. Chicks are precocial, leaving the nest soon after hatching and following adults to feeding areas.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocal in flight with carrying, resonant calls, often a repeated, rolling krrrak or kattar-kattar. At waterholes, calls become more conversational and softer, aiding flock cohesion over long distances.
Plumage
Sandy-buff upperparts densely spotted and speckled with black, giving a finely patterned, cryptic look; underparts buff with a darker central belly patch. Males show cleaner greyish head tones and a warm chestnut breast band; females are more heavily barred and spotted.
Diet
Primarily eats dry seeds of grasses and desert shrubs, supplemented by shoots and small leaves when available. Will take spilled grain near fields on the desert edge. Occasional ingestion of small pebbles aids grinding tough seeds in the gizzard. Invertebrates are taken rarely, mainly by chicks.
Preferred Environment
Forages on open, stony plains and gravel flats where low vegetation is scattered. Often feeds far from water, then undertakes a direct flight to a known waterhole to drink.
